To support users in the area of data processing devices what are referred to as help texts have become known in the very widest range of variants. An especially simple form of such a help text consists of a computer program being called with a specific parameter which then returns a textual description of its functionality at an output device. Then, with reference to the functionality provided by the computer program, the user must look for the function and the specifics provided for it suitable for him when calling the computer program and undertake a corresponding call of the computer program. Whereas such a help function usually globally represents the complete functionality of a computer program, context-sensitive help has since become known with which the user calls the help function while working with a computer program, e.g. by actuating a particular key, whereupon the computer program, in conjunction with the functionality of the computer program currently being used by the user, outputs information about this functionality as help. A plurality of different help texts can be assigned to the computer program for this purpose, with a call of the help function in a specific processing situation being associated with precisely one help text in each case and accordingly the activation of the help function causing the corresponding help text to be displayed. With a plurality of help texts said texts can be linked to each other, e.g. via hyperlinks or such like, so that the user, if a help text initially displayed does not include the information needed, can obtain further information, if necessary by following such links, so that, by actively collecting information, a clue in relation to a solution of the respective problem might be produced.
The disadvantage of such known solutions is above all that such help texts involve static information, and although they can be maintained and modified after the creation of the respective underlying computer program, they always only geared to the knowledge horizon of the user processing the help texts. A user will thus not find any information about a problem which has not been considered when the help texts were being generated.